New female candidates feature in the Green Party's list for the 2011 election announced today.
The Green Party will have had three female MPs retire by the time of the November election, making room for a new crop of candidates higher up the 2011 list.
"We have a good mix of experience and new energy and the 2011 list completes the move to a second generation of Green MPs. It's been a calm and organised evolution and it's proof that the Greens are a stable party. We're driven by big ideas which endure rather than just big personalities which can come and go," said Greens Co-leader Metiria Turei.
Canterbury's Eugenie Sage, a former regional councillor, is the highest ranked of the new female faces, ranked at 6 on the party list. Wellington's Jan Logie, who stood for the Greens in the recent Mana by-election, is at 9, with another experienced local body politician - Auckland's Denise Roche - at 11.
Mrs Turei and fellow co-leader Russel Norman fill spots 1 and 2 on the Green Party list, with the Party's five other current MPs who are standing again also in the top eight.
The Green Party has ranked 30 candidates for the 2011 general election and has an additional 14 candidates currently confirmed to contest the party vote in November.
"All of our candidates have a job to do sharing our message about a smart, green economy that looks after all New Zealanders," said Mrs Turei. "We know that when we look after the environment we're looking after the long-term economic future of New Zealand, and that's the story we're telling voters around the country this year."
The list also includes a rising crop of younger candidates, led by recent Young Greens co-convenor and Lower Hutt candidate Holly Walker (12th), Mt Roskill candidate Julie Genter (13th), and Aaryn Barlow (18th) who will stand in Nelson.
Professional experience among the top 30 ranges from former diplomats, health professionals and teachers to environmental scientists, aid workers and business strategists. The list includes former Army officer, Tane Woodley (24th) of Wellington, who has served in Timor and currently holds the rank of Major in the Territorials, as well as a one-time New Zealand waterpolo representative Jeanette Elley (19th) who is seeking selection for the Greens in Rangitikei.
The Green Party list may also feature the youngest candidate in 2011. Paekakariki's Jack McDonald, who turned 18 just last month, fills spot 30 on the list and will stand in the Te Tai Hauauru electorate.
The Green Party's members voted on the list in April and May. It was then subject to minor adjustments in order to meet certain balancing criteria for gender, Maori, South Island and youth representation.
The Party holds its annual conference and AGM next weekend in Pt Chevalier, Auckland and is expected to confirm its political positioning at the conference.
1 Metiria Turei
2 Russel Norman
3 Kevin Hague
4 Catherine Delahunty
5 Kennedy Graham
6 Eugenie Sage
7 Gareth Hughes
8 David Clendon
9 Jan Logie
10 Steffan Browning
11 Denise Roche
12 Holly Walker
13 Julie Anne Genter
14 Mojo Mathers
15 James Shaw
16 David Hay
17 Richard Leckinger
18 Aaryn Barlow
19 Jeanette Elley
20 Sea Rotmann
21 Michael Gilchrist
22 Dora Langsbury
23 David Kennedy
24 Tane Woodley
25 Joseph Burston
26 Mikaere Curtis
27 Shane Gallagher
28 Saffron Toms
29 Steve Tollestrup
30 Jack McDonald
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